Dr. Henry Byrum - U.S. Internal Medicine Specialist joins Chapala Med

Chapala Med is pleased to welcome Dr. Byrum to our practice as a primary care doctor.
Dr. Byrum will have office hours at Chapala Med on Wed. & Fri. 12 pm - 5 pm.  in addition to covering Dr. Hernandez's hours in the event he is out of the office.

We are very excited that a U.S. physician will his credentials and years of experience will be part of our team.
Come in and meet him.



ABOUT ME:

I was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Providence College where I majored in biology and minored in philosophy. I attended the University of Vermont medical school and subsequently did a medical residency at the University of Kentucky. I passed the internal medicine boards and next served in the navy at Great Lakes Hospital in Chicago. We moved to eastern Wyoming where I began my practice in internal medicine. We moved subsequently to Louisville, Kentucky where we resided for 33 years. We retired lakeside in November of this year. My special medical interest is geriatrics, and I bring more than 40 years of experience to Chapala Med.

What will be the cost of an office visit to this new doctor?

Hi there. Sorry, but I'm not on this web board all the time. Just got done with office hours.

Initial visit - $1200
Subsequent - $800

Does your new doc have a cedula?

That is why I do not use your facilities.  Your prices for medical services are very high. I go to Quality Care.  Great doctors, and for me, reasonable pricing.  And, the doctors and staff are caring and professional.

What does Quality Care charge?

Mrs. Rupert wrote:That is why I do not use your facilities.  Your prices for medical services are very high. I go to Quality Care.  Great doctors, and for me, reasonable pricing.  And, the doctors and staff are caring and professional.

I, too, found the prices jaw dropping: at least a third higher than anyone else in town. I pay my private G.P. physician
less than 400 pesos per visit and am well satisfied with her care. When she has sent me to a specialist, I've never paid more than 800 pesos per visit.  What's the story on the prices with this group? Something special we don't know about?  Free margaritas in the waiting room?

Gamina wrote:Does your new doc have a cedula?

Enquiring minds want to know.

CanuckBob wrote:What does Quality Care charge?

The dermatologist I go to there charges me 600 pesos. And she is a specialist not a GP.

gringal wrote:

Mrs. Rupert wrote:That is why I do not use your facilities.  Your prices for medical services are very high. I go to Quality Care.  Great doctors, and for me, reasonable pricing.  And, the doctors and staff are caring and professional.

I, too, found the prices jaw dropping: at least a third higher than anyone else in town. I pay my private G.P. physician
less than 400 pesos per visit and am well satisfied with her care. When she has sent me to a specialist, I've never paid more than 800 pesos per visit.  What's the story on the prices with this group? Something special we don't know about?  Free margaritas in the waiting room?

My GP charges me 300 too, and she is excellent. I find specialists charge around 600 pesos.

I only referred to the specialists I've seen. The medical group we're talking about was asked what prices were and they replied with "800 pesos and in the case of the new doctor "1200 pesos"

Hey, it's not illegal and if people feel they're getting value for their money, they can charge whatever the market will bear.

Dr. Peralta, my pulmonologist at Quality Care whom I dearly love charges me all different prices but often gives me free inhalers which offset the office visit price anyway. If Chapala Med can get those prices, more power to them I guess.

I often wonder why people complain about the price of something they have no intention of ever using. Seems a bit like a passive aggressive shot...….

Exactly. No law against charging double or triple what others are charging. There will always be people who believe that the more they pay the better they get. I see nothing in the facilities or experience or reputation of this doctor that rates the prices being charged. I did accompany a friend to an office visit there and saw enough to understand why some people willingly throw their money at him. My friend did until he didn’t.

EDITED TO ADD: This is a commentary not a complaint. With the steady influx of newcomers, many with deep pockets, this business will continue to be successful barring currently unforeseen problems.

And the beat goes on...….

CanuckBob wrote:I often wonder why people complain about the price of something they have no intention of ever using. Seems a bit like a passive aggressive shot...….

Please, not "shrink talk", Bob. Most people inquire about unusual pricing out of simple curiosity. Same with some of the newer restaurants: "what are they offering that is worth twice the price of ......"

I think free Margaritas in the waiting room would work, especially in some offices where the wait is in hours on occasion.

I don't see people complaining, just commenting.

Edited to add, if one advertises their services on a public forum they should be prepared for comments and complaints. Some may be negative and some may be glowing . . .

Canuck Bob, Quality Care charges $600 pesos for an office call for the GP and most of the doctors there. Dr. Briseño charges $1000 for the first visit and then less.

Trailrunner wrote:I don't see people complaining, just commenting.

Edited to add, if one advertises their services on a public forum they should be prepared for comments and complaints. Some may be negative and some may be glowing . . .

The difference between complaint and comment may be that you "complain" after you've used goods or services that are less than you expected, or "comment" as an observation.  Also true that when you advertise anything, you may or may not get a good response.  To be expected.

At least some of the specialists that come to Maskaras Clinic are now charging 1,000 pesos to Mexican clientele for routine consultations.

Well, I DO have a complaint about Maskaras. 7 1/2 years ago I sliced my finger on a mandoline and it wouldn’t quit bleeding. I was presenting at CASA that day so raced to Maskaras thinking I might need a couple of stitches. Saw a very young doctor who put pressure on my finger, slapped a Band-aid on it and I was charged 750 pesos. Remember, this was 7 1/2 years ago.

Oh, he gave me a latex glove in case I started leaking into my dish. I won first place and never did find that slice of knuckle. Never went back there.

CanuckBob wrote:What does Quality Care charge?

Good question.  I use Quality Care exclusively and have for some time and since this is my ass and its continued existence  we are talking about rather than increasingly large  holes I discern in my wallet, I can tell you that  Quality Care physicians are charging far more reasonable fees than this new guy down the street and I am 76 years old., started drinking serious booze when I was 13 and have a body like a 57 Chevy that needs a new fuel pump and spark plugs.

Let me make myself clear. When I experienced heart palpitations some time ago, Quality Care took care of me and corrected my situation without surgery when a doctor down the road immediately tried to implant a pacemaker in my chest before I balked and refused the procedure. I cannot speak for tomorrow, but, as of today the old ticker is ticking years later without that proffered pacemaker.

Your experience may differ.

Ditto on Quality Care and Dr. Briseño for heart problems. I arrived in Mexico with a couple of 1999 vintage stents, and got a couple more installed by Dr. Ramon Garcia Garcia, before he retired. Some years later, another emergency occurred and Dr. Briseño installed stents #6 and $7. Then, it happened again after a few more years and the total rose to eight stents. Dr. Briseño spent a lot of time fine-tuning my medications, which have not changed in over five years now, and I am quite stable at 81, although I do have COPD, for which there is no cure. Nonetheless, Santa has ordered an adult tricycle for me to ride around the neighborhood with my oxygen in the basket. OK, I admit it: It is electric powered, street-legal at 20 MPH and with 'up to 40 mile range'. Can't wait for it to arrive.
Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year.